Can You Keep a Secret?
by the0utsiders14
Summary: My life was always pretty rough, but with the gang by my side, I remained happy through it all. It's been that way ever since we were little kids. But one night changed everything. There's no escaping it and no forgetting it. It'll haunt me until the day I die, but I can never tell anyone what happened; not my uncle, not the gang, and especially not Dallas Winston.
1. Chapter 1

**Here's my first fanfiction for The Outsiders! I've had this idea for a while and just had to write it out. Yes, it's another Dally/OC love story. Please read and tell me what you think in your reviews!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything but Brooklyn and her family.**

My cheeks begin to ache from forcing outbursts of giggles from slipping out. I've never realized that you'd never want to talk more in your entire life if you knew you couldn't, especially when you have Steve Randle trying to trick you into it. If I let out the slightest peep, I'd lose the bet against Two Bit; the first to talk would have to agree to the winner's dare. Seems childish, but that's what you get with guys like Two Bit.

"C'mon, Brooke..." Steve presses as everyone else watches me with a smirk on their face, including Two Bit. It's like they get some twisted pleasure out of watching me squirm. I shake my head, clasping my hands over my mouth as I feel myself losing control. Although my lips remain silent, my eyes prove the laughter stored inside of me.

I feel like pointing out that it's unfair how everyone's trying to make me crack and not Two Bit, but I know that if I do, I'll lose. I'm worried that one of the guys will begin tickling me to get me talking; it's no secret that tickling is my weak spot.

"Brookie," Soda taunts as he gets awkwardly in my face. "We all know ya wanna talk..."

I purse my lips into a grin as I shake my head, leaning away from Soda. The short distance between us is beginning to make me feel slightly uncomfortable. There's really no denying that he likes me, but unlike every girl in Tulsa, I don't really feel the same way about him. Sure, he's gorgeous and sweet and charming but we're too good of friends to think about romance right now. I feel like a little kid saying, this but it's just so weird to think of us as anything but friends.

I look over to the clock and apparently I've been silent for over 15 minutes so far. Now THAT's a record. Ever since I could talk when I was 8 months old, I've been doing it nonstop. While some consider it a flaw, others (including the gang) like that most about me. At least I can talk for hours nonstop about a variety of topics and never get boring... Well, I sure hope I never get boring.

Looking around to everyone trying to make me spill, I begin thinking- what's the worst that Two Bit could think of? He isn't Steve, who would make me guzzle down ten beers in ten minutes and certainly isn't Dallas, who would make me strip for the gang and prance around the city naked. Well... I sort of exaggerated on both, but what I mean to say is that the worst Two Bit could really do is eat a whole chocolate cake (to which I'd gladly agree to).

Still, me being me, I still kinda wanna beat Two Bit. I tend to have an overinflated sense of pride and enjoy winning, even if it's a stupid little bet against my friend.

Aaaand, the tickling begins. Of course. "This'll get her," Steve mutters playfully as he begins tickling my waist a bit too aggressively.

"Okay... okay..." I pant between giggles, although the "assault" doesn't end. "Steve... I'm talking... STOP!"

Steve finally stops and smirks at me along with the rest of the gang. "Whoo hooo!" Two Bit hollers, kissing my cheek. "Thanks, sunshine, now I think I've got a little darin' to do, eh? Hmmm..." He pretends to be pondering deeply about this, although we know he had in mind what he wanted to dare me to do all along.

"Congratulations, Two Bit, do you want a metal or a monument?" I ask sarcastically, crossing my arms. I receive a few "ooohhhs" from the gang, but they were really just teasing me. I shoot them a dirty look, rolling my eyes.

"Hmm, maybe a monument," Two Bit remarks with a goofy old smile on his face.

"Fine, hotshot, what's the big dare you have in store for me?"

Two Bit grins and glances over towards Steve, who smirks before making his way over to Dallas who had been in the corner busy having a smoke the whole time. "Mm? Whatdya want?" Dally asks dully before being directed right next to me. I'm beginning or get a bad feeling about this...

Sodapop may have had the hots for me, but his feelings could never compare to Dallas's. I had been Dally's first friend in Tulsa; in fact, I'm the one who introduced him to the rest of the gang. Since my parents had died when I was young my uncle whom had taken custody of me has always been neglectful, Dallas felt the need to take me under his wing and be protective of me. Eventually, the protective feelings turned into romantic feelings, although he'd hate to admit it. Honestly, I'm practically the same way. I'll admit, I do like Dallas, but I'm just scared to be in a relationship with him. I don't want to ruin our friendship. Besides, he's just like my older brother, and I'm guessing it's more strange to be in a relationship with your brother than friend. It's not like I'm desperately in love with him; I just like him. Only a little bit.

"So the dare is," Two Bit proclaims in a very serious tone. "You and Dally will-"

"Nope," I quickly cut him off.

"Have to-"

"Nope, not happening."

"Come on, Brooke, it's part of the bet," Ponyboy chimes in, getting a kick out of this.

"Kiss," finishes Two Bit, leaving me somewhat relieved. Since I knew Steve had played a role in this little dare, I was getting worried, especially when Dally got pulled into it.

Dallas turns to me with his eyes wide and dancing, just like Soda's. "Whatdya say, kid?" He asks, avoiding eye contact with me as his cheeks turn bright red. "Well, there's no choice, is there?"

I let out a small giggle seeing ol' Dally getting all nervous around me. We can all tell he's been waiting for this moment for a long time. I guess that the rest of the gang set him up rather than me, knowing I'm more prone to get myself into this situation.

"Fine, let's get this over with," I groan. "But only because I have to!"

"Oh, you're all so immature," sighs Darry, picking up the empty beer bottles the guys left lying on the floor. "How old are you, 13?"

"As a matter of fact, I'm 16," I smirk at him before turning back to Dallas. I feel all eyes fixed on us as Dally nervously scratches the back of his head. We awkwardly shuffle towards each other and I take note that he had never acted this way around any other girl. If it weren't me, he would've dove right into the girl and led her on a full make out session. He doesn't have that much respect for anyone, even for Johnny.

This is getting ridiculous, I think to myself before carelessly standing on my tiptoes to peck Dally's lips. It was short, sweet and simple and I got another bunch of "oohs" from the rest of the gang (again), but there was something different about this kiss. By lips began to tingle as I pulled away and my heart began beating rapidly in my chest. I could make out with a guy for hours and never even get close to feeling this special... Uh oh.

I think I just fell in love with Dallas Winston.

"That's it?" asks Dally goofily, wiping his lips. "What's wrong, baby, I don't taste good enough for ya?"

I just roll my eyes, trying not to shown how I feel. "Are you happy now, Two Bit?" I ask, turning to the rest of the guys.

"Actually, it was Steve's idea," Two Bit responds like a kindergartner tattling on his best friend to the teacher.

"Really? I'm _so_ shocked," I say, sarcasm evident in my voice. "Stevie would _never_ do a thing like that."

"Well, why wouldn't I?" Steve shrugged off, taking a sip of his beer. "After all, y'all would make a cute couple." He finished that statement elbowing Soda teasingly, but Soda just pushed him away, clearly annoyed.

"I, for one, would like a little more action," Dally said slyly, wrapping his arm around me as I just laughed. "What about you, doll face?"

"Dal, come on, remember?" I try to remind him. "Just friends?"

"Jesus, Brooklyn, I was kidding," he lies, lighting another cigarette as if he didn't care. I pull my bra strap out from under my shirt so that Dallas can see a little bit of it, making sure I win over him. Now I understand why the other guys find pleasure out of watching me squirm; it's pretty fun doing it to Dally.

"You know what's funny," Johnny says, changing the subject. "The Socs have been staying outside our territory lately. Just on their side they've been stirring up trouble."

"No shit," says Dally, trying to act cool again after being all flirty towards me. "That ain't funny, that's just the way it should be. But I want 'em back, I wanna find those guys who did that to your face."

"C'mon, Dal..." Johnny says quietly.

"They guy wore those rings, right?" Pony joins.

"Yeah..."

The guy wore rings... I remember Johnny saying that. That leads my mind to one person; Bob Sheldon.

"Johnny, was it that soc Bob Sheldon? You know, he's our year in school?"

Johnny shrugs. "I dunno."

"Why's that, Brooke?" asks Soda seriously, eyeing suspiciously over to Steve.

"Nothing," I quickly lie. "I just know him and know he's not the best guy, that's all. He's jumped a few greasers before."

The truth is, Bob Sheldon and I used to go out. It was only twice or three times a few months ago and meant nothing, but I refused to tell the rest of the gang because I knew that they would be angry considering that he was a Soc who jumped a lot of greasers before. I was surprised when he asked me to be is girl but he assured me that he liked me regardless of our social standing. He was actually super sweet.

But after I got to know him I realized that he wasn't all sweet; he spent a lot of his nights getting drunk. Unlike the gang who would only get real goofy when zonked, Bob would get dangerous. One night I met him at a drive-in and he was acting all pervertedly towards me and I got really scared he would do something awful so I ended it before he could get that far. I may be a tough greaser girl, but I'm certainly not a typical teenage slut and only want to lose my virginity willingly to the right guy at the right time. Besides, I gained more than I lost when leaving Bob behind.

"So, who wants to go to the Dingo tomorrow?" Two Bit asks.

"Sure, why not?" I answer before everyone else responds with a yes, as well.

"Great!" Two Bit exclaims peppily. "I should be on my way, but I'll see y'all tomorrow! Wanna ride, Brookie Cookie?"

"I can walk, I only live around the corner," I answer, grabbing my coat. "Thanks anyway, Two Bit."

Darry crosses his arms with a concerned look on his face. "Eh, I don't think that's a good idea, Brooklyn," he states with a very serious look on his face. "It isn't safe to be walking on your own at this hour."

I sigh, placing my hands on my hips. I absolutely hate it when the guys are all protective of me. I know they're just being considerate, but I can take care of myself. I don't want them treating me differently because I'm a girl.

"Come on, Darry," I complain. I know it's better not to argue with him but I'm just getting sick of being told what to do by him. "I'll be fine! I promise. It only takes 2 minutes to get home and if there's any trouble, you'll be able to hear me. I'm old enough to take care of myself."

Darry dropped his head, looking defeated. "Fine, but I'm only looking out for you," he reminds me. "Just know you're lucky to have us to care about you when you have no one at home."

"I know, I know," I babble, slightly annoyed by that remark. He thinks he knows everything about my home life. The only person who knows just as much as I do is Dally and he swears he'd keep it a secret until the day he'd die.

After saying goodbye to everyone, I begin my short walk home. It's a freezing cold night and I'm really hoping that my uncle either isn't home or wasn't out drinking. I not really in the mood to have to clean up after him or lock myself in my room, hoping he'd leave me alone until he's fine again. But it's Friday night and what else could I expect?

I approach my house and notice that a car just pulled up front but it couldn't be my uncle; it's a mustang and that's one car he could never afford with all his life savings. I try to scurry inside, immediately knowing that it's some Socs looking for trouble.

"Hey, baby, where ya running off to?" says an awfully familiar voice.

_Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit._ I don't need to turn around; I already know who it is. And this time, Darry was right. I _did_ need someone to protect me.

"You know, you never did give me a good time..."

**What did you think? Should I continue? Please leave a review and tell me what you think! I love both positive feedback and constructive criticism. :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: I'm so sorry for the long wait, I was really busy. This will be a short chapter but I guess it's better than nothing, right? Thanks to everyone who reviewed, followed of favorited my story :)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own 'The Outsiders' or it's characters, only Brooke.**

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I can feel the blinding sunlight through my closed eyelids as soon as I wake up. Softly fluttering my eyes open, I'm quickly taken by natural surprise that I'm not in my warm bed where I should be. Instead, I'm lying on the rocky and cold ground of my backyard- why the hell am I here? My head is killing me and I'm sore all over.

All of a sudden, memories of last night come flooding back into my mind. I go from feeling achy and sore to completely and utterly disgusting. How could I let this happen? How?

I should've fought him off. I know I could've. Why didn't I? Sure, he was drunk and 6'1 while I'm stuck in my little 5' frame, but I could've run away. I could've run right back to the Curtis's house. I'm very agile and had plenty of time before he got to me. Instead I whimpered and backed away slowly until I hit the wall.

I'm so stupid. Stupid Brooke, idiotic Brooke. I keep scolding myself as I slowly enter my crappy house through the back door. I take notice that my uncle's car is gone which is a great relief. Although he never really pays attention to me anyway, I'm not really not in the mood to face anyone at the moment.

Closing the door behind me, something starts happening to me that hasn't happened in years. My knees buckled beneath me and I collapsed to the floor in sobs. I was saving it for the right guy at the right time. Unlike all of my friends and every other girl in the neighborhood I knew, I treasured my virginity and it meant a lot to me. It was the one piece of innocence I had left in me and it was stripped away from me like I was worth nothing at all.

I hate Bob. I hate him. The one Soc I didn't mind and then he goes and does something like that. Drunk or not drunk, he could go straight to hell. How could anyone be so insensitive and despicable? I shouldn't of trusted him- shouldn't trust any Soc. At least us greasers stand by the people we respect. I really thought Bob and I were on respectful-terms. Boy was I wrong.

Brooke, pull yourself together. Brooke, you've faced worse than this. Brooke, you're stronger than you think. Don't let him define you, Brooke. The worst punishment is to keep the smile on your face and act like it doesn't bother you. Don't lose your image, Brooke.

I keep trying to convince myself that this wasn't a big deal but I don't believe myself. But maybe I'm right. This happens to tons of girls in my neighborhood. Sure, it bothers the nice girls but others are probably proud of it. I'm not gonna be one of those perfect little good-girls but I'm not gonna classify myself as a slut- who am I? What am I?

Another thought pops into my mind- how will people react when I tell them? Will they make a fuss over it or will they show no sympathy at all? How would anyone ever view me the same?

I really like my image and I'm very proud of it. I'm laid back, sarcastic, cool and collected. I'm tough and could be hard as nails but I'm nice to people I like. If I like you, you'd love me. If I hate you... Eh, not so much. I'm one of the guys and people seem of like that about me- I'm not one of those preppy girly-girls. At all. But if people find out, maybe that's what they'll think of me.

If I don't want anyone to think that of me, I simply won't tell anyone. Problem solved. Besides, how could I tell anyone without breaking down? Why is life so complicated sometimes?

There's one person I surely can't tell, and that's Dallas Winston. He's too overprotective and I'm honestly terrified of how he'd react. I love Dally, just like all of the guys, but he gets real scary when he's mad or hurt. He could really hurt Bob, which I wouldn't mind, but that means he would end up in the cooler (what else would be new?). Maybe he's proud of his criminal record, but I won't let something like that happen again because of me.

I know what this means and it hurts really bad. I can't tell anyone and I tell the gang almost everything. I won't be able to even look at one of them without wanting or spill my guts to them. I can't hang out with them anymore, no matter how hard it'll be. And I already know it'll be really hard.

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**Im sorry for the length of this chapter but I hope you enjoyed it. If you have any requests for later chapters let me know and thanks for reading.**


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